Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of aircraft seating and more specifically to a shape memory alloy lumbar support system for an aircraft seat.
Aircraft seats are designed to support the posture of a user by supporting, among other things, the lumbar region of the lower back. Current systems for lumbar support in aircraft seating often have multiple parts including rack and pinion mechanisms to achieve buckling of the lumbar basket there by resulting in different profiles of the lumbar support. Conventional lumbar supports can include actuation knobs or levers, cable to translate tension or compression from the actuation mechanism to the lumbar basket, and other parts in support of these components. All these components contribute to the increased weight of the seat. Components that are lightweight as required in an aircraft can be costly to manufacture and maintain over the life of the aircraft. Moreover, manually-actuated lumbar support systems do not include controls that automatically adjust to user preferences with the push of a button.